October 1, 2024 | By Jay Ashbaucher
The Bible mentions this subject many times. James 4:6 and 1 Peter 5:5 quote from a Greek translation of the Hebrew Old Testament, which says, “God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (Proverb 3:34). James emphasizes God’s great grace that He gives to those who are humble. Peter makes the point that we are to clothe ourselves with humility toward one another, as well as to humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God. Jesus illustrated true humility by telling a story about two men who went to the temple to pray to God (Luke 18:9-14). One man was boastful about how good he was and was thankful that he was not like those who are sinful. The other man humbled himself and admitted his sinfulness. Although God loved both men, God showed gracious favor to the man who humbled himself rather than to the man who was proud and arrogant. God did not like how the proud person looked down on others who he deemed less valuable than himself. True humility involves three things: (1) seeing all of life from God’s point of view, (2) seeing accurately who God is from what He reveals about Himself, and (3) seeing ourselves as God sees us, both good and bad.
God tells us about an event that happened to humans whom God created in His image. They were to be imagers, or reflectors, of what God is like. What happened to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 1-3) has happened to all of us. They were warned by God not to eat of one certain tree that would result in allowing evil and death to enter their world and their lives. That same choice is given to all of us. True humility is seeing that we have all had our “tree” in the Garden of Eden and that we have all made the same choice as Adam. We all have eaten something we are not to eat lest it result in bad consequences. True humility is not to hide from God and each other, and not to blame others for what we did; but true humility before God is to feel sorrow for how we have disappointed the God who made and loves us, and furthermore, to want to do what is right, not what’s wrong. This response of humility should not be only toward God, but to others we have harmed as well.
True humility comes when we see and realize how God’s heart is affected by our wrong choices. He experiences sorrow and grief when he sees us going away from Him. Yes, God is patient with us and often delays justly punishing us for continual wrongdoing. God would rather that we repent, believe in His forgiveness, and be restored to a peaceful and loving relationship with Him. In the Old Testament, God says, “Do I have any pleasure in the death of the wicked, rather than that he turns from his ways and lives? For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone who dies, therefore, repent and live” (Ezekiel 18:23, 32). Jesus, God’s Son, came into our world to show us what God the Father is like (John 14:8-9). Jesus is the exact representation of who God is (Hebrews 1:2-3). Jesus, just before his death, approached Jerusalem and wept over it. He knew the city would be destroyed in a few more years because he was their Savior, but they did not recognize him and the peace he wanted to bring to them (Luke 19:41-44). It broke his heart; it saddened him, and he wept over those who rejected his help. They were choosing instead to continue to live in their dysfunctional relationships and broken world. If they only knew the heart of God, and had listened to God’s Son, perhaps it would have led them to true humility.
True humility is seeing God’s offer of grace and becoming open to receive it. Sometimes humans are so lost in their shame and guilt that they feel they are unworthy of being loved. Perhaps they’ve had an upbringing of being told that they were no good. True humility is hard to practice because they have been humiliated enough by the many ways they have been mistreated. True humility is believing and receiving God’s grace of love, acceptance, and forgiveness. A person with true humility knows that they don’t deserve it, but once they have experienced God’s grace, true humility is forever grateful for it. Such an attitude goes a long way toward preventing us from returning to the wrong path. If we do not forget that it is God’s grace that makes our new life happen, and is continuing to make it happen, we are humbled. We are grateful when we see how happy we have become, knowing that God is restoring us to His image. We sense how great that feels and we don’t want to ever turn back.
True humility is being joyful that God enjoys us and wants us to be with Him for eternity. Isn’t it prideful to feel that way? No. It gives us great joy to know that He has accepted us in our unworthiness, and by His grace, He is making all things new in our lives. We see the changes God is making in our lives because He has given us the Spirit of Christ to be in us, and we have become one with Him. True humility keeps us from becoming prideful and arrogant, as if it is all our own doing and we think we don’t need God.
True humility puts us on an even par with all of humanity so that we serve one another and treat others with respect. Who is great in God’s eyes? Jesus said to his followers that great men in this world are those who lord it over others with their position of authority. “It is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant” (Matthew 20:27). Jesus said that he did not come into this world to be served, but to serve and give his life for others. True humility means being strong, not weak. True humility doesn’t bow to be like others want you to be so you can be accepted. True humility takes a strong stand to do what’s good and right in the face of others who are going in a different direction. True humility doesn’t mean you can never be a great artist, or athlete, or leader, or whatever. It simply means that if you have the fortune by God’s grace to become someone great in this world, as the world measures greatness, the fame, riches and power won’t destroy you. True humility protects you from being arrogant or superior over others. The way to greatness in the eyes of God, no matter what our lot in life, is through true humility.
